When you're heading out picnicking, it's an extra bit of fun to give it an extra touch of excitement and pick a central idea to revolve your picnicking experience around.
Whether you have your own ideas, there are many favorite picnic themes that can not only add fun, but also help you organize your activities, meal, and accessories around.
Many of these can be returned to each season for a bit of tradition and something to look forward to during the cooler, less picnic friendly, times of the year.
One of the more enjoyable for adults is to imitate the age-old tradition of 'al fresco.
' A reminder of the dining in the park of years ago, this is a good way to try out some new foods and enjoy many that you already love.
True to its European roots, bring along some fresh soft French cheeses and baguettes.
Fruit and jams are a great accompaniment to these as well.
Then top off the whole meal with a nice bottle of wine.
Many hampers and baskets can be found that are made to carry wine glasses and other delicate items like cheese, and these can be a great convenience.
The most important aspect of this type of outing is to take your time and slowly enjoy your food.
A bit closer to home is a classic American barbecue.
You can find many parks that already have setups for this, but you can of course bring your own grill as well.
There are many portable propane grills that make cooking convenient and easy.
With a good store of meats, and a cooler filled with beer and soda, this is a fun return to your roots, that doesn't require much more than hot weather and as many people as possible.
Consider, putting a fun culinary twist on the classics and making lamb burgers or grilling vegetables off, instead of hot dogs.
Even if dogs are your thing, there are loads of sausages and brats around to have fun trying out.
It's also fun to center picnicking around a game.
Croquet is a relaxed game that is easy transported and can be set up practically anywhere.
It's fun for every age and is easy to get into.
Other good choices like volleyball or badminton are easy to move around, but require a bit more space and energy to play.
Ultimate Frisbee is a more recent game that require a little bit of space, but only a Frisbee and a lot of energy.
With the right food and company however, this should be no problem to find.